


swim with me

by squirrelhan



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Merman!Jisung, Merpeople, Slow Burn, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 20:29:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20570402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirrelhan/pseuds/squirrelhan
Summary: "What?" Changbin turns his head to him. "Just... I know he's probably dead, but the police were never able to find out what happened to him that day. Some bystanders saw him at the beach in the evening, but that's it. His dead body is probably somewhere. At the bottom of the deep blue sea", Minho says, he isn't even processing what he's saying. The words are just leaving his lips.or,Minho feels lost after his crush jisung goes missing.Jisung feels lost after he has ended up in a whole other world.Slowly, but surely, they find out that they need each other to find themselves again.--lyrics from the title: the beach by the neighbourhood





	swim with me

Minho wakes up to the annoying sound of his alarm. He groans, another workday. He comes up to turn the alarm off but freezes when he sees the date. He swallows. It is exactly 5 years ago since Jisung went missing.

Han Jisung. Minho's crush in high school. 

Minho attended to a popular art school. It was the time of his life. Hs was a good student and was pretty popular. Jisung was that young, smart boy in Minho's class with chubby cheeks.

Minho was head over heels for the younger. Literally. Their life was like a romantic teen movie. Secretly passing each other cheesy notes, awkward conversations in empty locker rooms and friends who wanted the two to be a couple so badly.

On one day, Minho finally felt confident enough to ask Jisung on a date. And luckily, Jisung said yes. It was a warm summer evening so they went to a restaurant on the beach. They had an amazing time. They kissed. It was their first kiss. Minho had the idea of walking home together, but Jisung said no. He left, taking a path that went through the hills. And the next day, he was missing. 

The local police started an investigation. Minho was the number one suspect since he was the last person who had seen Jisung. They never found him. Not a body or a clue of who or what made Jisung disappear that night. 

The disappearance of Jisung and the investigations drained Minho, mentally and physically. His grades dropped. His mood dropped. It got worse until he wasn't able to finish his school anymore and left town, to work in his father's fishing company. He started a new life and made himself believe that the waves took Jisung's life that night. 

Minho moved to a small village close to the sea after 3 years of Jisung's disappearance. He started his own fishing company and met Seo Changbin, who is his boyfriend now. They manage the company together. 

They live in a small, wooden house painted in beautiful colors. Changbin’s father, who is surprisingly the only male fisher in the village who’s not homophobic, made the house by himself. He was so excited to see that his son finally has a boyfriend. 

Is Minho happy like this? He doesn’t really know. It’s hard. Even though he loves his job and Changbin with his whole heart, Jisung is always in the back of his mind. Like a voice whispering in his ear. 

Living at the sea really helps with healing the big wound Jisung left behind. But the wound never healed completely, and Minho knows it never will. A big scar never goes away, you know. 

After thinking for a while, Minho manages to get himself out of bed with heavy limbs. He walks into the bathroom, turning on the light and looking at himself in the mirror. He looks terrible. He doesn't really care anymore, he is used to the pale skin and the dark bags under his eyes. 

He washes his face and steps into the shower. The cold water hits his skin and he shivers. Jisung pops up in his thoughts again. His adorable smile, his glowing cheeks, his soft lips, and soft hands, and how he held them during their last goodbye. He swallows, lowering his head. He doesn't even know what Jisung been through in his last hours, and he doesn't want to know either. 

How must it feel, to be killed by the sea?

He sighs deeply as he turns off the shower. After putting on clothes he grabs an apple in the kitchen as breakfast, he's not that hungry. He sees Changbin sitting in the living room. Minho closes his eyes for a moment, he doesn't feel like talking to him right now. He grabs his fishing equipment and goes outside.

He shuffles through the hot sand. The already bright morning sun is hitting his face and making him squint. His legs are feeling heavy. The only thought in his head is Jisung. 

Minho finds a nice and quiet fishing spot. He unfolds his folding chair and sits down, throwing some nets in the water. He stares at the ocean right before him. 

"What's wrong, Minho? You look so down today".

Minho feels two strong arms around his middle. He turns around. Changbin, his boyfriend, presses a loving kiss on his left cheek. The elder swallows.

"It's exactly 5 years ago today", he says softly, so soft he doubts if Changbin can understand what he just said. But he does. "Do you mean the day when your high school crush went missing?"

Minho nods. Changbin smiles and looks at his boyfriend. "Sweetie, just let it go. Five years is a long time. You have to focus on your life. On what we have. On the business of your father", Changbin says, unfolding another folding chair and taking a seat next to Minho.

"Jeez, what do you want to catch today?" he questions and points at the large fishnets in the water. "I don't know. I just wanted to come here and think for a bit", Minho replies. He's staring at the sea. The deep, blue sea. Then, he shakes his head. "I just want to know what happened to him".

"What?" Changbin turns his head to him. "Just... I know he's probably dead, but the police were never able to find out what happened to him that day. Some bystanders saw him at the beach in the evening, but that's it. His dead body is probably somewhere. At the bottom of the deep blue sea", Minho says, he isn't even processing what he's saying. The words are just leaving his lips.

"Minho, I-" "No, I really miss him. He was so sweet. God knows what he went through the last hours of his life. God, he must've been so scared".

"Why do you keep thinking about that?" 

“I lost my best friend and my crush, Changbin. How would you feel?” Minho snarls, turning his head. 

“I’m going to drink something”.

Minho sighs deeply when Changbin goes back inside. He stares straight at the sun, his eyes hurt but he doesn't care. He can only think about Jisung at the moment.

Normally, he tries to hide his pain. He still feels the guilt of leaving Jisung alone that evening. It doesn't matter how many times everyone tells him it wasn't his fault and Jisung wanted to walk home on his own.

No matter what they say, he was the one who asked Jisung on a date that night. Nothing would've happened if Minho didn't ask Jisung.

Minho startles when something tugs hard on the net.

He runs up to the place where his nets are laying into the water, bending forward to see what's in it. His eyes widen.

"Holy shit, that's a large fish", Minho hisses under his breath and grabs the wet net with his bare hands. The animal fights back, but Minho is determined to get it on the shore. "I'll throw you back into the water when I'm done investigating what you are", he groans and pulls the net on the scaffolding. His muscles hurt, but the animal in his net has finally stopped moving.

He can't really see what he caught, but it doesn't look like a fish. This animal definitely has human skin. Minho squints his eyes. The 'animal' seems to have a human-looking head, a torso, a pair of arms, but no legs. Instead of legs, it has something that looks like a fishtail.

Is that... a mermaid?

Minho curses and reaches for his pocket knife. He cuts the net. The mermaid is unconscious and has cuts, bruises, and blood all over its body. "I hope it's not from the nets. I'm so sorry", Minho murmurs, more to himself than to the unconscious creature. After finally finishing untying the nets, Minho rolls the mermaid on its stomach. He stares at the creature with wide eyes.

Ohmygod. He really did catch a mermaid.

It is weird to see a creature that you only see in fantasy books and films right in front of you. Minho inspects its tail. He has seen a lot of fishes, but never a tail like this one. Even though the tail is covered in cuts, seaweed, and blood, he can still see every little detail. The scales are a beautiful coral red color, some are white to create little dots. A row of fins in the middle of the tail probably helps it with moving easily in the water, Minho thinks. The fin at the end of the tail is large and strong. The tail reminds Minho of the Koi Pond fishes his mother used to have before he moved to this little village.

Close to its back, the scales fade into a soft, pale but moisturized skin. He spots some small, straying scales on his back and shoulders. More scales are visible behind his slightly pointed ears. He spots weird pieces of skin in his neck. His gills, Minho thinks.

The mermaid suddenly jerks. Minho is, once again, startled. The creature tries to roll over, but Minho sees it isn't really working. He holds the hips of the mermaid and turns it around, only to be met by a really familiar face. His eyes widen.

"Jisung?!"

Tears appear in the merman's eyes. He nods. Minho gets emotional too and holds his hand in front of his mouth in shock. The merman opens his mouth. His lips move. 

"Minho".

Minho breaks down by hearing his long lost friend's voice. Tears are streaming down his cheeks and he stretches his arms to hug Jisung. To his surprise, Jisung hugs him back. "Oh my god, what happened to you? Everybody thinks you are dead", Minho asks when they pull back. "I can't explain it to you, Minho, it is a long story and I'll dry out when I stay on land for too long. Humans can't see me", Jisung says, looking away.

"But you're covered in cuts and bruises. I want to help you. I'll bring you to our basement, we have an empty fish tank in there filled with seawater. Is that okay?" Minho proposes. Jisung bites his lip, but nods. "Okay", he replies softly. Minho carefully lifts Jisung up in his arms and brings him to his home. They don't talk.

Minho looks around, making sure that Changbin is not in sight. "Is someone home?" Jisung whispers. He sounds scared. "My boyfriend", Minho replies and opens the door that leads to the basement. Jisung knits his eyebrows together. "Boyfriend?"

Minho shakes his head, carefully laying Jisung in the fish tank. "It doesn't matter. I want to hear your story first. H-how did you-"

"Why do you have a fish tank in your basement?" Jisung asks, carefully moving his tail. You can clearly tell from the expressions on his face that he is in pain. "We perform harmless experiments on fishes sometimes. But you're avoiding my questions", Minho replies, biting his bottom lip. "Who is 'we'? You and your boyfr-"

"Jisung!"

Jisung abruptly stops talking, not even looking at Minho anymore. "Minho, what happened to you", he whispers. "Look, it's complicated. I needed some distraction. Your disappearance drained me. Mentally and physically", Minho sighs. A soft "Hm", leaves Jisung's lips.

"I just need some time. I'm not ready to talk about it yet", Jisung says after a couple of minutes silence. Minho nods. "Okay. I understand. I think", he says and wants to leave the room, but Jisung grabs his wrist.

"Wait. I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm acting like this. The last years have been... really, really weird. Meeting someone from a part of my life I don't even feel connected to anymore is strange", Jisung says. Minho nods. "I missed you so much. But after a year, I forgot who I was missing. Now, I'm just missing a boy named Han Jisung. I don't know who you are. All of our memories seem faded".

Jisung nods and looks down, clearly hiding that he's crying. "I don't even understand who and what I am", he then sobs, hiding his face in his hands. Minho looks at his webbed fingers. He grabs an old chair that was left in the basement and takes a seat next to the tank.

"Are you... ready to talk about it?" he asks carefully. Jisung nods, raising his head. Minho looks at his eyes, they still look bright and magical even though he's sad. "What does everybody think that has happened to me that night?"

"They all think you drowned. It is a cold case right now. They even suspected me for killing or kidnapping you", Minho replies, he can see that Jisung is shocked. "I did drown. I fell off a cliff. It was dark and I didn't know where I was", Jisung starts, taking a deep breath. "But something brought me back to life. I don't even know what it was".

♡

_ The cold water fills his ears, a strong wave makes it impossible to get back to the water surface. He screams, he screams at the top of his lungs. Hoping that anyone or anything can save him. The salt burns in his fresh bruises from falling off the hard rocks. _

_ He doesn't even know for how long he fights the water. His screams become more muted every second, and the water becomes colder. Jisung feels like he's trapped. His lungs are burning, he can't take this anymore. His sight is becoming blurry. _

_ Oh my God, Jisung thinks. I'm drowning. I just kissed my crush and I'm drowning. That is the last thing he is able to think before everything becomes black. _

♡

"I woke up, somewhere, stranded on a small island in the middle of the ocean. Like  _ this _ ", Jisung ends his story by eyeing at his red tail. "And you don't know who turned you in this?" Minho questions, but Jisung shakes his head. "I've been on my own for the past years. Well, I tried to communicate with some dolphins and even small sharks, but I felt like I didn't belong in the ocean. I mean, that's a lot better now, but speaking in human language after so long and meeting a human-"

"And from all the humans on this earth, it's me", Minho smiles. A small chuckle leaves Jisung's lips. "Yes", he chuckles, "it's you".

"But why is your body covered in cuts and bruises?" Minho questions. "I wanted to thank you for that. A group of aggressive reef sharks was following me and technically, getting stuck in your net was a good way to shake them off. So, thank you", Jisung smiles. His hands are holding the edge of the tank. Minho looks at his webbed fingers once again.

"Can I look at your hands?" he asks carefully. Jisung nods and Minho grabs his right hand. His thumb moves over the soft webbing in between Jisung's fingers. "It helps me with swimming", Jisung explains, his voice soft. He is probably embarrassed.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed, it's okay. I was just curious", Minho says. "I know", Jisung replies and shrugs. "I just feel like I do know you, but don't know you at the same time. You know what I'm saying?"

Minho doesn't answer. He takes the time to look at Jisung's face. Even his face has something... not human. Well, don't get me wrong, Minho still thinks that Jisung is super adorable. But now, 5 years older and... a merman... he has something magical. Something supernatural.

His bright, attentive eyes glisten in the dim light of the basement. The same goes for the small scales in his neck and at the sides of his face. His long, blonde, wet hair falls in front of his face and his soft parted lips...

"Minho?"

The elder flutters his eyelids and sees that Jisung is looking at him with a worried expression on his face. "Are you okay?" he questions. Minho smiles widely and nods. "I'm okay. Totally okay. Damn, you're just so... beautiful", he whispers. Jisung swallows.

Minho's face is coming closer and closer. "I'm going to kiss you", he whispers.

"Minho? Are you in here?"

They both quickly pull back as they hear Changbin's voice. "Oh no", Minho curses under his breath, quickly telling Jisung to stay quiet and runs upstairs. "I'll be back soon!" he yells and closes the door, leaving Jisung in the basement.

The merman sighs. He bites his bottom lip and closes his eyes. This... feels so weird. His head hurts from thinking and talking. Jisung thinks about the ocean. The dolphins, the fishes, and even the sharks. The travels he made to Australia and even close to Russia, admiring the change in the corals and the fishes.

Jisung smiles. The ocean really is his home. Being away from land for five years is long. Even though the ocean can be scary, the feeling of never being able to drown comforts him. Especially after what happened.

He is startled when he hears loud screaming, pressing his hands on his pointed ears. His ears aren't used to this kind of sounds anymore. He stops moving his tail to listen to the voices.

"I just want to know what's in the basement and why I can't go inside!"

"Binnie, please, it's not that deep. I've caught a fish and I want to examine it!"

"And you won't let me help you?!"

It is silent again. A deep sigh leaves Jisung's lips and he turns until he's laying on his back. He looks at his tail. Jisung doesn't know for how long he's just laying in the water, flipping his fin and thinking about everything that has happened to him today. When the door opens, he guesses it must be night.

"I'm sorry that it took so long", Minho whispers when he walks to Jisung, "Changbin wouldn't let me go. He is sleeping right now", he says and takes a seat on the chair. "It's okay", Jisung replies and smiles softly.

"Is he mad?"

Minho bites his lip. "Maybe", he turns his head away. Jisung swallows. This is my fault, he thinks. "Do you love him?" he asks. Minho shrugs. "I don't know. I really don't know, Jisung. I don't know if this is real love or just something to soften the pain of missing you", he answers. "Hm", Jisung answers. It remains silent for a minute.

"My life has become so miserable", Minho suddenly says, "everything I do is to forget you. I moved here so I didn't have to walk past your house every day. So I didn't have to look at your empty spot in the classrooms. Your memorial in the hall. Talk to your parents. Everything. I wanted to escape, to go away. I wanted to process your disappearance as quickly as possible".

Jisung finally looks at Minho when he hears the elder crying. "Minho, I'm so sorry", he whispers and grabs Minho's hand. "No, it's okay. You can't do anything about it. But the fact that you're here is kinda shaking my whole life around. And this isn't something I can talk to Changbin about".

"Is he a good boyfriend?" Jisung asks, Minho nods violently. "He has helped me through so much these years. He is the sweetest", he says. "Do you love him?" Jisung asks again, looking Minho into his eyes. The elder laughs through his tears and nods. "Y-yes. I do. He fits in the life I created”, he says. Jisung smiles. 

“Is the life you created the life that you want?” Jisung asks. Minho slowly shakes his head. “I don’t know what I want in my life”, he admits. Jisung nods, not really knowing what to say. 

“Anyway! You can stay here the upcoming days so your cuts can heal. I’m not letting you back into the sea now. Sharks will smell your blood”, he says and jumps up. “I- uhh- oh really?” Jisung’s eyes widen. Minho smiles and nods. “Of course. By the way, what kind of food do you like?”

\--

The door opens and Jisung looks up. Minho is walking down the stairs, holding a plate of fish. “I have smoked fish, is that okay?” he questions. Jisung’s face lights up, he nods. He comes up as Minho hands him the plate. “Thank you”, he softly says and starts eating. 

“Do you only eat fish in the sea?” Minho asks him after a couple of minutes and Jisung nods again. “There’s not a lot to eat besides fish and seaweed”, he chuckles, giving the now empty plate to Minho. 

“But I’d love to eat human food, now that I’m here”, Jisung suddenly says, winking. Minho smiles. “Okay, I’ll take some human food with me next time”.

Minho brought Jisung sandwiches the next day, which ended in a disappointed Jisung. He is no longer used to human food and doesn't like it anymore. So the next day Minho brings him human food again. But this time, it is sushi.

"Why does sushi taste so much better now?" Jisung asks and grabs another piece from his plate. Minho smiles at him. They eat their food in silence, and Minho starts thinking about Jisung in college. He chuckles. “What are you laughing about?” Jisung asks. Minho looks at him. “Remember that time when we had a field trip and went to a sushi restaurant?” he asks. 

Jisung starts laughing too and nods. “Oh, when we uh, tried to confess our feelings for each other in the bathroom?” he chuckles. “Yeah, and our teacher thought you were sick”, Minho replies. He suddenly swallows. 

“Jisung?”

The merman looks up, smiling. “Yes, Minho?” he replies. “D-do you… still, like me?” Minho softly asks, suddenly feeling embarrassed. In the dim basement light, he can see that Jisung's cheeks are turning red. “Uhm”, the younger stammers, brushing a strand of wet, blonde hair behind his pointed ear. “I-I I still have feelings for you Minho. Just don’t know how at this moment. This is still a bit weird, you know”, he says. He waves his hand, an attempt to make the warm feeling in his stomach disappear.

Minho smiles. “It’s okay. I understand you, I feel the same. Just- just wanted to ask you about it”, he says. Jisung nods. “Thank you again”, he sighs, “for taking care of me”.

After a week, Jisung’s cuts are finally healed. “I somehow don’t want to go back”, Jisung pouts as he is lying in Minho’s arms. The elder is bringing him to the sea. Minho doesn’t answer, he doesn’t really know what to say. He finally says something as Jisung wants to dive underwater.

“I don’t want this to end, Jisung”.

The merman turns around. “Me neither”, he replies and crawls towards Minho. He grabs the elders hands. “What if you visit me every day? At 3 pm?” he asks, his voice soft and breathy. Tears appear in his eyes. Minho tears up too, nodding. 

“Yes. Yes. Of course. I missed you so much”, he replies, glancing at Jisung’s parted lips. The youngers lips curl up in a small smile. Minho lets Jisung’s hands go and pinches his cheek. “You’re literally still the same dumb teen from 5 years ago”, he chuckles. Jisung blushes and turns his head. “Don’t make me shy”, he mumbles and Minho giggles. 

He leans towards Jisung and presses a kiss on his heated left cheek. “See you tomorrow”, Minho says, smiling. Jisung nods and turns around. “See you tomorrow”, he replies and dives underwater. Minho looks at Jisung’s tail disappearing underwater. He sighs, standing up and cleans his pants. That was a weird week. 

\--

Minho keeps his word. He is at the beach the next afternoon, exactly at 3 pm. Jisung is waiting for him in the sand. He smiles and waves. “How do you know the time, by the way?” Minho asks, running up to Jisung and hugging him. Jisung smiles and points at the sun. “The sun and the shadows”, he replies. “That’s smart”, Minho mumbles, Jisung shrugs. “You have to do something”. 

Days pass and the merman and the human keep meeting up in the afternoon. Minho is not going to lie, he was scared that their meetings were going to be very uncomfortable. But he was wrong. They end up talking for hours every day, laughing about old memories. Jisung keeps making jokes and Minho missed this Jisung so much.

Jisung also tells Minho a lot about the ocean, but he realizes that the younger don’t know a lot about mermaids. So, he ordered a book about mermaids in a small, ancient store, somewhere in the hills. 

“So, tell me how beautiful this city is. I kinda forget how living on land feels like”, Jisung asks, smiling at Minho. They're in the soft sand, on a deserted part of the beach. It's not that hot today and the sunlight kindly warms Jisung's wet skin and tail.

“Oh my god, and you will not believe how beautiful this city is! I love hiking through the hills with... eh... Changbin usually, but it's amazing! There are so many butterflies and a beautiful ancient shop where I ordered that Mermaid Book and- hey, what's wrong?" Minho stops talking when he realizes how sad Jisung is looking at him. The merman sighs. 

"I’m sorry Minho. I really want to go to the hills with you, Minho, but I can't... Like I just told you, I haven't been on land for so long... I can't even remember how it looks", Jisung explains, tears appearing in his beautiful eyes. Minho pouts. "I'm so sorry..." he mumbles. But suddenly, he gets an idea. 

"I have an idea! I'm going to rent a wheelchair and you are going to see the hills. In a wheelchair!" Minho yells, jumping up and clapping in his hands. Jisung glances at his tail and frowns. "But how are you going to cover my tail?" he questions confusedly. 

"A blanket! And I'm gonna bring you enough water so you don't get dehydrated!" Minho says, a happy smile painting his face. Jisung laughs. "Okay, okay. I'm excited. When are we going?" he asks. Minho grabs his hand. "Tomorrow", he smiles and looks at Jisung's eyes. "Then I can pick up that Mermaid Handbook right away".

Jisung is waiting for him the next morning, super excited to see the hills and Minho of course. He sees Minho walking towards him with an empty wheelchair, a blanket, and some plastic bottles. "I'm here!" he says excitedly and Jisung comes out of the water. 

"Do I have to dry myself?" he asks and Minho nods. After Jisung dried himself, Minho helps him into the wheelchair and secures the blanket over Jisung's tail. "Are you sure this is going to work?" Jisung hesitates, pointing at his fin. "Of course! Just try to not move your tail. There won't be a lot of people in the hills, by the way", Minho assures Jisung and gives him a T-shirt. "This feels weird. I haven't worn any clothes in five years", Jisung laughs and Minho pushes the wheelchair through the sand. 

"It feels so weird to be here..." Jisung whispers as they're walking through the hills. He's holding a bottle with seawater in it and takes a sip from it from time to time. Minho chuckles. "I know, but it's beautiful, isn't it?"

Jisung nods softly. "Thank you for taking me to this place. I really appreciate it", he says. "Oh look, a butterfly!" Jisung shouts enthusiastically and points at a butterfly that flutters through the air. Minho smiles at him. "Oh look, there's the shop I was talking about", he points. "It looks really ancient..." Jisung whispers and giggles, excited to see what was inside.

Minho pushes open the old, creaky door and looks around. “It smells like old books, I haven’t smelled that in a long time”, Jisung says softly. “I’m going to get that book, do you want to look around for yourself?” Minho asks as the owner of the shop walks towards them. Jisung nods and rolls the wheelchair towards a collection of small, wooden statues of mermaids.

“Hello, can I help you?” she asks Minho, eyeing suspiciously at Jisung. “Yes! I’m coming to pick up that Mermaid Handbook”, Minho replies and the owner nods. “Oh, now I remember. You are that young man who lives at the shore”, she says and Minho chuckles. “Yes, that’s me”, he says.

The old woman turns around and walks up to the storeroom to get the book. “Why do you want this book again?” she asks when she’s back, glancing at Jisung again. “Oh, I’m making a story at school about mermaids. I thought it was nice to buy a real handbook and see what kind of interesting information I can find”, he lies. The woman nods and bites her lip. 

When Minho has paid, she says something else. “I know that’s not the reason why you bought this book and I know it has to do something with your friend over there”, she whispers, pointing at Jisung. Minho’s eyes widen. “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about”, he stumbles. The woman smiles. “I won’t tell this to anyone. I know how it works. My grandfather wrote this handbook. But be careful, these creatures are not what you think they are. Even though you know them really, really well”, she says, grabbing Minho’s hand. He is dumbfounded. 

“H-how do you know-” and then, he sees the scales on her wrists. “Oh”.

The owner smiles. “Your friend is not the only one. Good luck, young man. I can feel that you love him. But think about it, you’re about to lose  _ everything _ ”. 

Minho swallows. “T-thank you. I’ll look out”, he says, turning around. “Jisung, I’m done, are you coming?” he asks. “Yes!” Jisung nods and they leave the store. 

“What did that woman say to you?” Jisung asks as they arrive at the beach. “No, nothing important. She asked why I wanted the book. I lied about a school project”, Minho replies. He is lying. Again. 

“I know that you’re lying.”

Minho swallows. “What?” he asks. “I am a mermaid and I could  _ feel  _ she is one too. We also know when you’re lying, if you didn’t know that”, Jisung replies, throwing the blanket in the sand. The elder sighs. “Jisung, I’m sorry. I’m trying to protect you”, he replies. Jisung smiles. “It’s okay. Do you want to swim with me? We haven’t done that before”, he asks. 

“Yeah, why not! I’m going to grab my swimming shorts, be right back!” Minho yells and runs away, leaving Jisung behind with a big smile. 

Minho quietly opens the door to his house, Changbin doesn't seem to be home. He runs upstairs, grabs his swimming shorts and puts them on. "I'm here!" he yells when he runs back onto the beach. Jisung is still lying in the water with a big smile on his beautiful face. 

“Come on, get in. The water isn’t cold!” he smiles. Minho puts his foot in the water and screams. "What do you mean, it's cold!" he shouts, Jisung laughs. He grabs Minho's ankles and pulls him into the water. 

"Come here, silly", Jisung smiles and puts his arms around Minho. He kisses his cheek. "Shall we go for a swim?" Minho then asks. Jisung nods. 

"You can sit on my back," he says. Minho frowns. “Isn’t that really heavy?" he asks. Jisung quickly shakes his head. "No, of course not," he answers and waves his hand. Minho shrugs and does what Jisung says.

He carefully sits on Jisung's back and wraps his arms around his waist. Jisung starts swimming. Minho carefully looks back and sees Jisung's tail moving in the water.

He is not lying, it looks beautiful. Magical.

"Can I swim underwater? That's easier," Jisung suggests. "Okay. I'll tell you when I'm out of breath," Minho replies and takes a deep breath when Jisung dives underwater.

The salty water burns in his eyes, but Minho still enjoys how beautiful it is underwater. All the fish, the coral in all the colors of the rainbow...

After a while, Minho notices that he is running out of breath and taps on Jisung's back. The merman responds immediately and swims to the water surface.

"What do you think?” he asks enthusiastically when they reach the water surface. Minho takes a breath and then smiles. "It's beautiful down there, I understand that you feel at home here”.

Jisung laughs. "We're already quite far in the ocean, do you want to swim a bit further or go back to the beach?"

Suddenly Minho realizes that they're indeed quite far in the ocean and that he can't stand. The water is cold, wild and salty. He is shocked and his legs give out, going under. He accidentally swallows a lot of water and starts coughing hard when Jisung pulls him up again, worried.

"B-back", Minho only says and clings to Jisung. "Okay. I'm sorry", Jisung says shocked and turns around. "No, it's not your fault. I'm not used to the ocean," Minho answers quickly.

The rest of the trip is quiet. Jisung doesn't swim too deep and keeps going to the water surface to ask Minho how he is doing. A relieved sigh leaves Minho’s lips when they finally arrive at the beach. “Are you okay?” Jisung asks. “Yes. Thank you”, Minho replies, quickly getting of Jisung’s back. It feels good to feel the ground under his feet again. 

“Thanks for today. It was really fun”, he says and Jisung smiles. He grabs the elder’s hand and pulls him closer to him. “Thanks to you too”, he whispers, his eyes gliding to Minho’s parted lips. Minho swallows, realizing that Jisung is looking at his lips. 

Jisung’s face comes closer and closer. And finally, he feels those soft lips against his. The lips he missed so much. He closes his eyes and reaches for Jisung’s soft hand, he squeezes it gently. He tastes the salt of the ocean on Jisung’s lips, he guesses it’s a part of Jisung now. 

The younger slowly pulls back and Minho opens his eyes. He has never seen Jisung look this happy. “Minho?” he asks, his lips curling in a happy smile. “Y-yes?” Minho asks. He feels Jisung breathing against his now swollen lips. 

“I love you”, the younger whispers. Minho feels a spark in his stomach. A spark he hasn’t felt in a lot of years. A spark he didn’t even feel when he kissed Changbin for the first time. Minho giggles softly, his cheeks color dark red. He swallows and presses his lips on Jisung's again. One more time. One more time to feel those soft lips. 

"I love you too. A lot", Minho whispers as he retreats. Jisung nods and squeezes Minho's cheek. "You're cute when you blush", he says, it only makes Minho's heart beat even faster. "I do have to go home now", Minho says, pouting while he gets up. "It's okay. Well at home", Jisung answers and maneuvers back to the ocean. "You too!" Minho shouts as he walks through the sand, ready to go home.

\--

Minho wakes up from a painful feeling in his neck. “What is this”, he groans, coming up and stumbling to the mirror. He turns on the light and his eyes widen as he sees weird, blue spots on both sides of his neck. 

“Minnie?”

The elder turns around, seeing that Changbin woke up. “What’s wrong?” Changbin asks, walking up to his boyfriend. “I have these weird blue spots in my neck and it hurts”, Minho points out. “Let me see”, Changbin moves Minho to the light and examines his neck. 

“Hm, you’ve worked with chemicals today, right? I think you have a rash. We have some cream in the cabinet, I’ll put it on for you”, Changbin opens the cabinet and smears some of the rash cream on the spots and smiles. “It hurts less already”, Minho frowns. Changbin nods and kisses him. “See, it’s just a rash. No need to worry”, the younger gently pushes him back on the bed and wraps his arms around him. “Goodnight baby”, he whispers. Minho whispers something back, already fast asleep.

That afternoon, Minho is making himself ready to meet Jisung. Sneaking out of the house to meet Jisung has become a daily event and Changbin doesn’t even seem to notice. Most of the time, he’s fishing or going to the mall too.

Jisung smiles when he finally sees Minho on the beach. “Minho!” he yells and waves. Minho smiles and runs up to him. “It is so hot today”, he groans and flops down in the hot sand.

"Do you want to bathe with me? The water is cold", Jisung questions, tilting his head a bit and wiggling his eyebrows. Minho chuckles and nods. He throws his flip flops in the hot sand and runs to the mermaid.

Jisung is laying in the shallow water on his stomach, his tail in the air. "You'll be the death of me, Han Jisung", Minho jokes as Jisung turns around to swim a bit further. "It isn't my fault that I'm hot!" Jisung laughs and wraps his arms around Minho. They cuddle and talk for at least an hour. 

"I feel like I've said this a hundred times, but I really missed you", Minho then says and presses a soft kiss on Jisung's forehead. Jisung giggles, but stops laughing when he sees the weird blue spots on Minho's neck and shoulders. "What is that?" Jisung points out.

Minho looks at himself. "Oh, those things? I don't know, they hurt last night. But now they only itch when I touch them, Changbin applied some lotion this night. Don't worry about it", he says and waves his hand.

"No, let me take a closer look", Jisung says and drags his soft fingertips over Minho's skin. "Ah, that itches! It's okay, Changbin says that it’s a rash from the chemicals I've worked with", Minho pushes Jisung's hand away. The mermaid looks at him for a moment but then shakes his head. "If you say so..." he whispers.

"Minnie? I need your help!"

"Oh fuck, it's Changbin again", Minho curses and turns around to walk back to the beach. "See you soon!" he yells and runs away. Jisung sighs. He is worried. Very worried.

“Take that Mermaid Book with you the next time you come!” he yells. 

\--

"Are you leaving again?"

Minho sighs deeply and turns around. There is his boyfriend, Changbin, looking at him. And he doesn't look very happy. "Yes. I'm sorry. I'm going to look at fishes at a center", Minho lies.

"And you can't take me with you?" 

He actually feels bad for leaving Changbin behind every day. But really doesn’t feel like being with Changbin anymore. He rolls his eyes. “I am. Bye Changbin”, he says and turns around. He swings his backpack on his back, it is filled with some snacks (Jisung got really excited about human food when they walked through the hills) and the mermaid handbook of course. 

Jisung is waiting for him in the shallow water, as usual. "Hey Minho!" he shouts cheerfully. Minho smiles and runs towards him. “Jisung, I bought diving equipment so we can swim together!” he says excitedly and opens his backpack. Jisung smiles. “I love you”, he says, wrapping his arms around Jisung. Minho smiles widely and kisses Jisung’s cheek. “I love you too”, he replies. Jisung pulls back. "Well, I'm curious, what did you bring for me," Jisung says and claps in his hands.

Minho sits down in the damp sand and opens his backpack. "I brought you some cookies and chips", he says and also places the Mermaid Handbook in the sand.

"Oh, nice!" Jisung enthusiastically grabs a bag of chips. Minho laughs when Jisung starts eating. He moans softly. "I haven't eaten chips in years. This is so delicious", he says. Minho opens the Mermaid Handbook and looks at the yellowed pages. "Maybe there is a way to get my legs back", Jisung suddenly murmurs and he starts to flip.

"Oh. Here it is. Turning into a Mermaid", Minho says. They both bend over the paper to read the text. "When a human is turned into a Mermaid, this transformation is irreversible. Shit", Jisung sighs and looks at the sea.

"I always hoped to get legs again one day," he says softly. Minho doesn't know what to say and places his hand on Jisung's shoulder. He starts reading the rest of the text.

_ ‘Mermaids can transform people. This can happen in several ways. The best-known way is love, or being soulmates. When a human falls in love with a Mermaid and vice versa, the transformation happens automatically.’ _

Minho's eyes are getting big and he quickly closes the book. "What's wrong?” Jisung questions. He turns around, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "N-no, nothing", Minho quickly replies. He smiles. “Shall we swim?” he then asks. 

Jisung nods, moving towards the rocks. Minho takes off his pants and shirt, he is happy that he was already wearing his swim shorts. He places the snorkel on his head. “Do you know that you have an amazing body”, Jisung whispers and grabs Minho’s hips. The elder doesn’t reply, hiding his flushed cheeks. 

“You don’t have to be shy. I’m just saying the truth”, Jisung winks and grabs Minho’s hand. “By the way, do you really want to do this? You were pretty terrified last time”, Jisung asks right before Minho is about to walk into the shallow water. He nods. 

“I showed you my house and the hills, now it’s time for you to show me where you live”, he says. Jisung smiles. “You’re the sweetest”, he says as they dive underwater. 

\--

That night, Minho's in laying in his bed. He stares at the words in the Mermaid Handbook. It is true. He is going to be just like Jisung. He bites his lip, the woman in the store was right. 

_ You’re about to lose everything. _

He stands up and walks towards the mirror. He turns on the dim light and looks at the blue spots in his neck. He touches them gently, they feel weird. What could they be, maybe scales? A deep sigh leaves Minho's lips and he looks at himself in the mirror. "Jisung can’t know about this", he says and turns around again. 

Minho comes home the next day after his now almost daily swim with Jisung. There is just so much of the ocean to explore, and cuddling and talking to Jisung.

He sighs as he sees Changbin standing in the living room, his arms crossed. He doesn’t look… very happy. “Hey Binnie”, Minho says and wants to hug his boyfriend, but Changbin takes a step back. 

“I know where you were today”, he says and Minho’s heart stops for a minute. He opens his mouth, but no sounds are coming out of his throat. “I saw you at the beach when I drove by. Talking to someone. Who was that?”

Minho swallows deeply. A side of him wants to tell Changbin everything. About Jisung, that the younger is a merman and that he fell in love with him again.

But he can't. He promised Jisung to keep his existence a secret. "I-I can't tell you who he is Changbin, I am so sorry", Minho murmurs, looking down. Changbin scoffs.

“You know what?” Changbin looks up, wiping his tears. He suddenly looks more angry than sad. “I am moving out. I absolutely hate what our relationship has become. I hate you, Minho. Why won’t you admit that you’re seeing somebody else? This is bullshit. Goodbye”, he says and stands up. He pushes the elder away and slams the door shut, leaving Minho dumbfounded in the living room. He shakes his head, blinking to stop crying.

He feels like a total mess. This is so weird. He has feelings for Jisung, but he didn’t want this to happen. He loved Changbin. He loved the life he had. And now, everything is changing. 

Minho wipes his tears and stands up. He wants to go to Jisung. He wants to talk to him right now. He grabs his jacket, puts his shoes on and runs to the beach.

\--

Jisung is swimming towards the beach at 3 pm, as always. He looks up as he sees Minho sitting on the sand, his face covered in tears. He frowns and swims towards him. “Minho, what’s wrong?” he asks, coming out of the water. Minho looks at him and bites his lip. 

“Changbin broke up with me”.

Jisung’s eyes widen and he stretches his arms. “Oh, Minho, I’m so sorry”, he replies, hugging the elder. Minho sobs softly in his shoulder. 

“We fought… he is thinking that I am seeing someone else and I hate that it’s true”, Minho says. Jisung looks at him and starts wiping his tears. “I know that this isn’t the moment to ask you this but a couple of days ago you told me that you didn’t feel like dating Changbin anymore, why are you so sad about it?” he asks. 

Minho shrugs. “I don’t know. I never thought that I’d be a reality. That wasn’t my intention. But he was right about what he said. It’s him or someone else. A-and I already chose”, he says. “You chose me?” Jisung’s eyes widen. Minho nods slightly, a small smile appearing on his face. “I still love you”, he says. Jisung’s eyes literally light up. 

“I don’t feel like being alone tonight… Changbin has left the house but I feel weird. C-can I please stay with you?” Minho pouts. Jisung smiles. “Of course. Take my hand, and I’ll bring us to a safe place”, he replies and Minho grabs Jisung’s hand tightly. They dive underwater.

It is dark and Minho literally can’t see anything, but Jisung is swimming as he knows exactly where they are. After a while, they arrive at an underwater cage that has shallow water and a bit of sand. 

“This is where I sleep every night”, Jisung says. “Woah…” Minho whispers, completely out of breath. He lays down in the shallow water and looks at the rocks above him. Jisung lays down next to him, wrapping his arms around Minho’s middle and kisses his forehead. “Sleep well Minho. I’ll take care of you. Forever. You deserve to be happy”, he whispers. Minho groans softly, his eyes closed already. 

Jisung starts singing softly and even though Minho is half asleep, he can hear Jisung’s angelic voice perfectly. It makes him feel wanted, loved. Happy. He smiles. He loves Jisung so much. 

He stayed with Jisung for three days. It was Jisung who persuaded him to go back home to eat a proper meal and take a shower. When Minho opens the door, he sees that a lot of the clutter on the tables is gone. He sighs deeply. Changbin went back to grab his stuff and left.

Minho walks into his bathroom and swallows when he sees Changbin's hair gel and facial cream. He probably forgot about them. He probably won't be coming back to get them anyway. 

The longer he looks at the products, the angrier he gets. He is not even angry at Changbin, but rather at himself and the situation. He grabs them, yells and throws it in the trash. 

He sinks through his legs and bites his lip. He tries to stop his tears, but they are already running down his cheeks. He is sobbing and Minho doesn't even know why. He has been so happy for the last three days. He is so happy when he is with Jisung.

It's an hour later and Minho has long forgotten to shower. He lies on his bed and stares emotionlessly at his ceiling. The weird blue spots in his neck hurt a lot again. But even that doesn't matter to him now. He closes his eyes, sighs deeply and falls asleep. He hopes to make it through the night without waking up. 

But he does wake up in the middle of the night, in cold sweat. His skin burns. It’s the same feeling like the weird blue spots in his neck a while ago, but now it is everywhere. His throat is so dry that he can’t even swallow anymore. He coughs, trying to sit up. He feels so dehydrated.

He runs to the bathroom to drink a cup of water. He's not even realizing how exhausted and dehydrated he looks, and how the spots in his neck are now turned in fully developed scales. He's too busy with downing a cup of water in a couple of seconds. And another one. And another one. But it is not helping. He still feels dehydrated. It feels like his skin is literally shriveling.

"Ocean, ocean, I need to go to the ocean", he pants, his voice raspy. Without putting on clothes, he runs to the beach in his underwear.

"Jisung!" he shouts, his voice echoing over the silent beach. His legs wobble and he falls on the sand, feeling totally out of breath. "Please come, Jisung, I need your help", he whispers, looking at the dark ocean. He shouts Jisung's name again. No answer.

He crawls to the ocean, sticking his hands in the lukewarm water. His eyelids become droopy, since when is he tired? Wait, is he tired? What is happening to him? Minho shouts Jisung's name one last time and he passes out.

Jisung did hear Minho scream. When he arrives at the beach, he sees the elder laying in the sand. "Minho!" he shouts and rushes to him. He grabs his lifeless body, directly placing his ear on Minho's chest. His super sharp hearing allows him to hear everything. Minho's blood flowing through his veins, his organs and, thank God, the beating of his heart.

Which means that he's still alive.

"You feel so dry, you need hydration", Jisung whispers, wrapping his arms tightly around Minho's waist and pulling him into the water. He brushes Minho's wet, sandy hair out of his face. "Minho, can you hear me? Please, please, wake up", Jisung begs, squeezing Minho's cheek.

Minho's legs jerk. "Oh my God", Jisung whispers when he looks at the elder's legs. They are covered in blue, purplish spots, and the spots are spreading very quickly. His legs melt together, forming a tail. And on that moment, Minho opens his eyes. He looks at Jisung, his eyes filled with raw fear.

"Jisung! What is happening to me? My legs hurt!" he panics, trying to move but Jisung is holding him tightly. "Don't panic", Jisung says in a surprisingly relaxing tone, "you're turning into a merman".

"I am what?!"

"I said don't panic!" Jisung repeats. "How can I stop panicking! I'm literally turning into-" Jisung interrupts the elder by pressing his lips onto his. "Does this make you stop panicking?" he whispers when he pulls back. Minho shivers, shrugging. A dark red blush is appearing on his cheeks and behind his ears. "It's okay", Jisung smiles and wraps his arms around Minho's waist. 

"I'm tired", Minho whispers, resting his head on Jisung's shoulder. "We can't sleep here. Humans will find us", Jisung whispers back, but Minho shakes his head. "I'm exhausted", he groans and closes his eyes. 

Jisung chuckles. "Then sleep. I'll bring us to a safe place. Sleep, my baby", he presses soft kisses on Minho's forehead. Minho chuckles softly, Jisung pokes his cheek. He sings his boyfriend to sleep, just like he would do when Minho was still a human. 

\--

Minho opens his eyes and the first thing he sees are the eyes of Jisung. "Good morning! The sun is already up!" he says excitedly. Minho comes up and startles when he sees his tail. Oh. That's right. He's a merman.

“Where am I?” he asks confusedly as he sees they aren’t on the beach anymore. Jisung smiles at him and grabs his hand. 

“I’ve always dreamed about this. About you, about us. I missed you so much, Minho. I dreamed of living with you, in the most beautiful place ever. When I found this place for the first time, I cried because it reminded me of you. But now, you’re here with me. Welcome home”, he says and kisses Minho’s cheek. 

“Oh, Sungie, you’re making me emotional!” Minho chuckles, wiping his tears. Jisung laughs too, tears appear in his own eyes. “I’m sorry that you had to lose your legs for this”, he says softly, but Minho shakes his head. 

“No. My life was miserable on land. I’m happy now”, he says and smiles. Jisung smiles and kisses Minho’s lips. “Do you want to swim with me and look around?” he asks. “Yes, yes of course”, Minho replies and Jisung grabs his hand again. They move towards the water. “How do I swim?” he asks. “Your tail will move by itself”, Jisung explains, waiting for Minho to get into the water. 

Jisung grabs Minho's hand when they're underwater and looks at the elder. To his eyes, which are shining with happiness. To his hair, which moves with the flow of water and its movements. And finally to his blue tail. Minho soon realizes that Jisung is looking at him and laughs at him. He squeezes the younger's hand a little more. 

Maybe this wasn't his intention, turning Minho into a mermaid, but it makes him happy at the same time. They are together now. 

Forever and always.


End file.
